Somewhere Over the Rainbow
by CayCullen
Summary: AU where Steve Rogers was Tony Stark's babysitter while Maria and Howard were busy with the war. But now Tony is all grown up. Claiming to hate the man who abandoned him like everyone else. Steve just wants to be Tony's friend. He just wants to connect with someone he really knows (used to know) how is he supposed to fight along side a man who has more than every right to hate him?
1. He had a Date

**Rating:**_ PG-13_

**Summery: **AU where Steve Rogers was Tony Stark's babysitter while Maria and Howard were busy with the war. But now Tony is all grown up. Claiming to hate the man who abandoned him like everyone else. Steve just wants to be Tony's friend. He just wants to connect with someone he really knows (used to know) how is fighting along someone who has every right to hate him go?

_**Couple: **_Tony/Steve

**Authors: **Cayla and Nicole.

**AN:** Okay. Sorry this so overdue. I know a lot of you guys wanted the sequel and I come baring said sequel. Sadly, I am alone for the most part. I haven't talked to Nicole in forever. We're both so busy and we just don't have the time like we used to. So I took it upon myself to edit, write, and rewrite some of the stuff we already have written. But here it is. You're hearts don't have to be broken now! :D Yay!

* * *

Times passes. Steve doesn't even notice. He's asleep. Frozen in the ice. The next time he opens his eyes, he's in a room. A normal looking room. A ceiling fan spinning slowly. It feels like it's a nice summer day.  
_  
'Where am I? _'Is the first thought he has.

The last thing he remembers is going down in the plan while he talked to Tony.

_'Tony,'_ he thinks and sits up.

His bones are aching just a bit because they haven't moved in so long. Steve is alive, he doesn't know how but he is, and maybe he could take Tony to that movie. He takes notice of the radio in the room, playing a baseball game. At first he thought it was just a baseball game, but then it started sound familiar. He had heard this game before, it wasn't new. It was an old game. One he and Bucky had gone to. That alarms him. Something's wrong with this picture.

The door opens and woman steps through, she reminds him of Peggy, _'Peggy, where is she_?' She greets him, tells him good morning. Steve thinks he should be polite but he can't be.

"Where am I?" He asked.

"You're in a recovery room in New York City."

He looks around the room again. The windows are open, a nice breeze blowing in. Everything seems so normal, except for that damn game. That proves something is wrong here.

Steve looks back at her.

"Where am I really?" He asked and of course she claims not to understand but Steve can see she's flustered.

"The game. It's from May 1941, I know because I was there."

He watches her face go from flustered to fearful. Something was going on here. This wasn't right.

Steve stands and began s to approach the woman who could possibly be working for Hydra as for as he knew.

"Now I'm going to ask you again. Where am I?"

"Captain Rogers-

"Who are you?" He demanded.

The door opens again and a bunch of men in black suits holding guns stand there.

_'Not today_,' he thinks.

He's not going down that easily.

He fought off the 'agents' and kicked them through the wall. It opened up and once he stepped out he saw that he wasn't in a room at all. This was all just some big holding room. He started running, not knowing where he was going but knowing he didn't belong here. He opened some doors and saw glass walls reviling the city outside.

A voice came from somewhere, saying it was _a code 13_. He looks behind him and see more of those black dressed agents starting after him.

He takes off running toward the door and ends up running into the street. There's something in the road, cars? They look more like space ships. He keeps running he doesn't know where he's going but he feels like if he keeps running things will start to look familiar. It doesn't.

He keeps running and he finally stops because he reaches Time Square. He can only tell it's Time Square because of a sign that says so. It's like he's in a movie, everything is so advanced and new and it honestly scares him. This isn't right. None of this was right. Why was everything so different? Where was Tony? Where was Howard? Where was everyone he knew?

Black things that could only be cars pull in front of him and more of those damn agents get out.

"At ease, Solider," A voice said and Steve turns around to see a man with an eye patch and trench coat standing there.

Steve just stars at him. Even this guy seems out of place, like a character in a Science fiction novel.

The man gets closer and apologizes for 'the show' back there. He tells him that they thought they should break it to him slowly.

"Break what?" Steve asked completely confused.

"You've been a sleep, Cap. For many years."

The words hang in the air and Steve's heart rate increases.

Well, that explained everything thing. Why things look so different. At first he was thankful he was alive but then he thought about Tony. He frowned, looking around the astonishing Time Square trying to understand that this was all real.

"Are you going to be okay?" The man asks.

Steve nods; accepting that he was in a future wasn't that hard. But accepting the fact that his best friend has grown up and probably doesn't even remember him… that's another thing entirely.

"Yeah, Yeah. It's just," he sighs thinking of that little toddler hanging on his arm.

"...I had date."

* * *

**AN**: Please, Review!


	2. They Should Have Left Him In The Ocean

**Rating:**_ PG-13_

**Summery: **AU where Steve Rogers was Tony Stark's babysitter while Maria and Howard were busy with the war. But now Tony is all grown up. Claiming to hate the man who abandoned him like everyone else. Steve just wants to be Tony's friend. He just wants to connect with someone he really knows (used to know) how is fighting along someone who has every right to hate him go?

_**Couple: **_Tony/Steve

**Authors: **Cayla and Nicole.

**AN: **I had some time to put up the next Chapter. :)

* * *

Nick Fury, the man he met, explained everything the best he could. What had happened while Steve was under. All the huge Historical events. Steve never asks about Tony. Never asks about Howard, or Peggy, or anyone he knows because most of them are most likely dead. He knows Tony is not though; he's probably in his late thirties or early 40's. He never asks how he is. He doesn't want to know. Tony is a grown man now. He probably doesn't want anything to do with him.

SHEILD gets him set up in a apartment in Brooklyn. He's been living there for about two weeks now. It's a nice place; it feels a little like home with all the older stuff inside.

He doesn't know who left the SHEILD files here but he goes through them. The people he had fought along aside have passed. He gets his hopes up when he reaches Howard file, he looks young. Just like Steve remembers him. He reads and his heart sinks when he reads Howard and Maria died in a car crash a long time ago. He reaches Peggy file and see that she's alive and well. He smiles, at least someone he knows is okay. Her phone number was listed and Steve thought about calling her. He decides against it. Peggy wouldn't want to hear from him. It's been too long. She's moved on. Then he gets to the last file.

He stares at the picture without reading the name. '_He looks like Howard_,' he thought. He was without a doubt a very handsome man in his suit, staring at the camera with those dark eyes. Steve reads the name and actually gasped.

_Anthony (Tony) Edward Stark._

"Tony?" He said out loud, touching the picture.

He had grown so much in what feels like such a little time. He touches the picture, having a hard time believing this was his best friend now. Or…that was his best friend. He looks so…grown up. He looks a lot like Howard. But those dark eyes are the only things that look really familiar to him. Tony's eyes still looked youthful.

He reads Tony's file, reading about how he was the CEO of Stark Industries, about how he created the Iron Man and was now a 'superhero.' He had saved many lives. Steve smiles down at the paper. He knew Tony would grow up to be a genius.

He got on that thing, the internet? He thinks it's called that. He typed in Iron Man to see what would come up and it was a video of Iron Man saving a little boy from being blown to bits by some sort of machine. He doesn't watch the interviews youtube has. He doesn't' watch the clips where Tony is talking because, he doesn't want to get too attached. He can't get attached to a person who wouldn't remember him, wouldn't want to be his friend anymore. He was proud of Tony though, so very proud of him for all the amazing things he has done in his life. Tony's phone number is listed too.

Steve won't call. He can't. It's not the same. Tony probably doesn't even remember him. But God, he wishes he could call and he would hear, '_Stebe_!" but he won't. He would probably hear someone that sounded like Howard, asking him who this was.

Some tears came to Steve's eyes and he rubbed his eyes before they could fall out. He puts the files away. He was going out. He couldn't stay locked up in this place anymore.

He walked the streets, looking at all the new stores and technology, he smiles whenever he sees_, Stark Industries_, thinking Tony probably made it. He keeps walking, not really know where he's going but his subconscious led him to the building he had read about, _Stark Tower._

There was a café nearby it so he sat down and ordered a coffee. He brought his sketch pad and he sketches it mindlessly. He keeps staring up at the freakishly tall. It's very…ostentatious. It was nice but it sure as hell wasn't Steve's taste. He smiled a little anyway because he can picture his Tony, the one he remembers, making something like this in Legos. That was his Tony.

"Waiting on the big guy?" A girl asks and he looks up to see his nice waitress refilling his cup of coffee.

"Ma'am?" he asked, confused.

Was this another pop culture thing he didn't get?

"Iron Man," she explains, "A lot of people eat here just to see him fly by."

The way she says it is so casual, but for Steve that all sounds incredible and impossible.

Tony just flies by in his Iron Man, grabbing everyone's attention; at least he was finally getting the attention he deserved.

"Right," Steve said, pulling his money out of his pocket. Maybe he should go before Tony does fly by.

"Maybe next time," he assures her and tries to make himself say he's never coming back he, but he probably will.

"The table is yours as long as you want it, nobody's waiting on it." She said happily.

Steve thinks she's really nice but that doesn't really mean anything. Just thought she was being nice to be nice, didn't even notice she was flirting with him.

"We've also got free Wireless," she said with a smile as she walks away.

"Radio?" He asked himself mostly.

She smiles at him again before walking away.

"Ask for her number you moron," an older man says from the table beside him.

That's when Steve realizes she was flirting with him. Oh well, didn't change anything. He wouldn't flirt back with her. Wasn't his type, and he really wasn't looking for a person to be with at the moment.

He gathers his stuff back up and leaves the café. He gets on the subway and heads back to Brooklyn. He goes back to his place and gets his work out bag. He had walked by a gym earlier, maybe he could join it. This is how he used to relieve stress. Hopefully it would help now as well.

He gets there just when the gym is closing up, the man that owns the gym is kind enough to let him stay after hours as long as he promises to lock up. Steve assures him he will and after everyone is gone…he gets to work on the bags.

He punches furiously. All the while building up his anger, he hated Hydra. He hated that he had been under for so long. He despised the fact that he couldn't be there for Tony.

He thinks of Tony, not the little one, the adult one who's grown and changed so much. He's loud and attention grabbing. He's a lot like Howard from what he's read. He keeps thinking about what he fought for. About everything he did just to end up here. In this time where he's not wanted or needed.

_"I love you, Stebe. Just be safe and don't forget that you're my favorite person." _Steve gets even angrier because he didn't get to come back to that.

He didn't get to come back to his best friend. He never got to do anything he promised.

_"I won't. I love you too, Tony." _He wonders how much Tony hates him for not coming back. Probably not as much as he hates himself.

He punches the bag so hard it goes flying across the room, hitting the wall.

He stands there, panting. Is this what his life was now? Waking up, doing nothing, going to the café' and coming here beating the life out of bags? Was this all he had?

He sighs and picks up another bag, hanging it up. He would go until he ran out of bags, or until he broke bones.

"Trouble sleeping?" A voice said and Steve stops punching to see Director Nick Fury.

He goes back to punching.

"I slept for years, Sir. I think I've had my fill." Steve said and stops punching because his arm gives a horrible cracking sound.

He had broken something. It hurts but not that bad. He actually gets back to punching against his better judgment. Punching with the sting of pain in his arm felt somewhat satisfying.

"You should be out celebrating. Seeing the world," Nick said and Steve took the hint that Nick must want something.

He walked over to where he had his stuff and sat down in a chair. Unwrapping his hands.

"I went under, we were at war. I woke up they said we won…they didn't say what we lost."

It seemed like Steve had lost everything, and it seems like America had lost a lot too.

"We made some mistakes along the way, some very recently."

Steve sighs, knowing this is why Nick was here.

"Here with a mission, Sir?"

"I am."

"Trying to get me back in the world?"

He was back in. He didn't like it. Steve wishes he could go back.

"Trying to save it."

Nick goes on to tell him about the Tesseract which Steve knew as 'Hydra's secret weapon.' He tells him that Howard fished it out of the ocean when he was looking for Steve. That's the first time Steve's heard that. He didn't know Howard had looked for him. They shouldn't have. They should have just left him. It would be better than this.

They lost the Tesseract and someone called Loki has taken it. Fury says that he'll have to bring him up to speed on if he's in. Of course he's in. It's not like he has other things to do. And he wants to help. He's still Captain America. Nick thinks the word has gotten even stranger then Steve's knows. Steve doubts that. He thinks nothing would surprise him anymore. He gathers he's things and begins to head for the door.

"There's a debriefing packet waiting for you back at your apartment. Is there anything you could tell us about the tesseract that we ought to know now?"

Steve almost laughs.

"You should have left it ocean."

_"...You should have left me in the ocean," he thinks._

* * *

**AN**: Please, Review!


	3. This was his fault All of it

**Rating:**_ PG-13_

**Summery: **AU where Steve Rogers was Tony Stark's babysitter while Maria and Howard were busy with the war. But now Tony is all grown up. Claiming to hate the man who abandoned him like everyone else. Steve just wants to be Tony's friend. He just wants to connect with someone he really knows (used to know) how is fighting along someone who has every right to hate him go?

_**Couple: **_Tony/Steve

**Authors: **Cayla and Nicole.

**AN: **Here you guys go! The reunion! :D

* * *

Steve goes back to his apartment, reads about Dr. Banner who is supposed to be helping them. He also reads about Miss. Romanoff, and Loki. He gets on a jet and flies to the SHIELD Helicarrier. He meets everyone, Phil, Natasha and Bruce. He upgraded his suit which was really nice. A bit snug but nothing he can't handle.

Then, not even being there for an hour, gets thrown into action again. In Germany of all places.

He goes toe to toe with Loki who is a lot harder to fight then he thought it would be. He thinks he's about to be killed but then some sort of loud horrible music comes over the speakers of Natasha's jet.

Steve's on his back on the ground and he looks up at the sound. At first all he sees is starts but then and he sees someone (or something), speeding towards them. Flying so fast that until it landed, Steve couldn't tell it was Iron Man.

He was here. Tony was here. He had found him. Steve smiles a little because he never thought Tony would be the one saving him. The smile on his face fades as he watched Tony blast Loki with his suit. Steve's heart it pounding as he gets to his feet. He stares at the back of Tony's suit. He's so much taller then what he remembers. He doesn't know what he expected. He's seen pictures but it was still hard to believe.

"Make a move, reindeer games," Tony said and hearing his voice for the first time sends a chill through Steve's body.

His voice even sounds older and a little robotic but he thinks that because of the suit.

Steve walks over in time to watch Loki's amour fade and raise his hands in defeat. That seems wrong. The man had put up such a fight before, this was too easy, him coming in red handed.

"Good Move," Tony said and Steve can't stop staring at the Iron Man mask.

Part of him hope the suit will open up and_ his Tony_ will be in there asking when they could finish that book. He stares for a little longer, wondering if it was really him under there.

"Ton-Mr. Stark," Steve greeted awkwardly. Almost calling Tony by his first name.

He watches Tony in the suit cock his head slightly.

"Captain," he replied in the same tone.

It's casual. What Steve feared it would be. He had been forgotten. Tony didn't remember him. This was not at all the big reunion Steve had securely been dreaming of.

In Steve's mind Tony would at least smile at him and say that he missed him. But no. He wasn't going to get that.

Steve sighs, he wouldn't have come if he knew Tony was helping out as well. Steve never wanted to bother, Tony. He was trying to move on, much like he knew Tony must have.

Tony and Steve got Loki in a pair of SHIELD handcuffs. Natasha landed the jet in street and opened the doors for them. Steve kept a firm hand on Loki has they got him inside and sat him down. He didn't put up a fight at all which bothered Steve horrible. He just sat down and stayed quite. Much like Tony who hadn't said a word.

They stand together, not talking but Steve's finding it very hard not to stare at Tony's mask which is still on him. It isn't until they are in the air that Tony finally takes it off. Steve's eyes go wide. He's even more grown up and handsome in person. He swallows hard and stares at Tony for far too long. It was still so hard to accept that this was Tony. This was the little boy who he used to give baths to. This was the little boy who used to curl up close to him. How? How could that really be him?

"You've grown up," Steve said, not even knowing he said anything until Tony shoots him a look. A look he wasn't used to. He looked angered, cold and bored at the same time.

Tony set his helmet aside and crossed his arms instinctively. The billionaire decided that the best way to deal with this is to erase Steve Rogers from his memories and welcome him the way he would a co-worker. This was difficult when Captain fucking America decided to butcher the moment.

'_Yeah, thanks for being around to witness all of it_,' his mind responded bitterly. '_It's not like I cared about you or anything.'_ Tony tilted his head to the other man and let out a short laugh.

"Yeah, it's been a while hasn't it?" He gestured to his Iron Man outfit. "I bet you haven't seen anything like this before, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."

The words hurt. Not because he was offended but because it was obvious Tony had forgot him. He didn't even force a smile, he just nodded. He won't say much about how he knows him. Not if Tony's forgot. But God, he wishes he could ask if Tony ever finished the book. He hopes he did. He hopes someone took him to see that movie. Or at least watched it on one of those vhs...dvd things.

"Yeah," Steve mumbled, "Fury didn't say he was calling you in." Steve pointed out. Because if Fury had, he wouldn't be here. He wouldn't be bothering Tony. But...was he really a bother if Tony didn't remember?

"Yeah? There's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you," Tony said and it was obvious that he spoke from experience.

Because if he had been informed he wouldn't be here. The last thing Tony ever wanted to do was see this bastard again. The so called american hero who had abandoned him. He was started to get even more pissed off. What the hell did that even mean? "_He didn't say he was calling you in_," Is Mr. Stars and Stripes happy to see him or disappointed? Tony closed his eyes out of annoyance and let out a sigh.

"You know, Fury didn't contact us so we could make small talk," he said. "For future reference, Cap, it'd be cool if could keep it down to a minimum."

That hurt Steve even more but he's starting to get angry with Tony. He was angry because this wasn't who he thought Tony would grow up to be.

Steve rolled his eyes and let out an agitated huff.

"Fine. No more small talk. I'll just keep the fact that I babysit-ed you for 5 years to myself." Steve snapped in a whisper.

He's gone too far, he knew that from the moment the words left his mouth but Tony was pissing him off and he couldn't stop himself. He could deal without talking to Tony but if he was going to be an ass every time they tried to talk, they weren't going to get along. At all.

"I'm sorry..._what_?" Tony hissed. "You did not just fucking bring that up!" He continued. "You fucking left me, Steve! You lied like a coward. Something I would expect from my asshole of a dad, but not from you. Y-"

"-Well, isn't this getting sentimental," Loki interrupted. A chilling laughter escaped the frost giant's throat and an amused looked dominated his features.

Tony brought a hand to his forehead, feeling stressed out and wanting nothing but a drink.

Steve didn't have any time to try to defend what happened, to try to explain that it wasn't his fault that he was frozen for too many years. And what's really horrible is that he wants to scold Tony for swearing like he's a child, and Steve has to remind himself that Tony is not a child. He's a grown man who has grown out of calling him, '_Stebe_.'

A loud roar of thunder from outside the aircraft and a noticeable thud hitting the roof distracted Steve's thoughts. Loki's amused look was replaced with a dramatic look of worry.

"What wrong?" Steve asked Loki, he was utterly pissed off with him as well. "Scared of a little lightning?" Loki kept looking up toward the sky. "I'm not over fond of what follows." He said and then a bigger sound that sounded as if someone had landed on the roof came.

Steve ran for his shield and quickly putting the mask on. He looked over at Tony who had his mask back on again and was opening the jet's doors. "What are you doing?" He yelled. But suddenly there was a blonde man in red cape standing on the jet's extended door.

Steve watches in horror when Tony goes flying back into the jet, laying on his back because the blonde man had shoved him hard.

"Tony!" He can't help but saying. Regardless of how horrible Tony was now he still cared about him.

"Are you okay?" He got down on his knees trying to help Tony up but the he shoved his hands away. Steve quickly stood back up and pulled his hands up, he shouldn't have done that. He turns his head to see that Loki is gone.

"_Damn it_," he thinks.

Tony picked himself back up and walked to the opened door of the jet. He heard Steve shout something at him, but he didn't care right now. The faster they got the mission over with, the faster he could return to his life without Steve. He flicked his head back to the open door and took off flying on his boosters. He soared the sky until he came to a decent land and began searching for the blonde and his insane brother.

_'If I don't do something, Tony is going to get himself killed_,' Steve thought as he put on a parachute.

Natasha tries to talk him out of this, saying that they should just let Tony work things out with Thor and Loki. Steve doesn't see that happening. Tony doesn't like the the guy who wanted to work things out. He does things without thinking. He acts on a whim, he doesn't plan ahead. Someone had to look out for him. Steve takes off into the forest's against Natasha wishes. He follows the loud sounds of mettle clanging together and finds the blonde and Tony fighting each other in the woods.

"Hey!" Steve yells and throws his shield at them to get their attention. They thankful stop and look at him.

"That's Enough!" He ordered, jumping off the high branch he stood on and landing in front of the two of them. He was starting to feel like Tony's babysitter again, it was almost like Tony had brought a friend over and they had got into a fight.

Tony tried to hold his tongue, but he simply couldn't take it any longer. He lowered his helmet, exposing his face. "What is this for you, Steve? A game!?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Yes, Tony. This is a game and I have come back from the dead just to screw with your head." He snapped sarcastically. "Now hush." He ordered and looked over at Thor to try to talk to him, to try to be civil but Tony wasn't done throwing a fit yet.

"You know, it wouldn't be the first time you screwed me over!" Tony yelled back. "And don't you dare tell me to hush! I'm not your fucking responsibility anymore. You made damn sure of that years ago!"

"You two know each other?" Thor asked and Steve sighed. "We used to." He answers. "Tony, you can yell at me later."

Because Tony had every right to be angry and Steve understood, but Tony couldn't be angry right now.

"I'm busy right now." He explained and looked back at Thor. "Look, now I don't know what you plan on doing here-"

"I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes!" Thor cut him off and Steve nodded.

"Then prove it, put the hammer down."

Tony had tried to warn him that was a bad idea, but Thor pushed Tony back into a tree. The next thing Steve knows Thor's screaming and coming at him with the hammer. He holds up his shield and when the hammer collides with it Thor goes flying back while a deafening ring cuts through the woods, knocking some trees down. Steve stands back up, shield in hand. Tony has got back up along with Thor.

"Are we done here?" He asked and he's thankful to see Thor nodded.

"I shall go retrieve my brother." He said, taking off into the air again.

Steve looks over at Tony who has lifted his mask. He's glaring at him again. Steve doubts he'll ever see a smile.

"Tony, look, I can apologize all damn day but I don't think it would make a difference to you," he snapped.

"You're right. It wouldn't make a difference at all," Tony spat.

He looked down at the ground and then looked straight into Steve's eyes.

"I went to your funeral." He said sharply. Tony broke is gaze as he felt his features swelling up with sadness.

"What's even more stupid is that I still believed you were coming back." He let out a laugh. "

"And now you're back and you expect things to be peaches and creme? I'm sorry, Cap. I'm not the pathetic 5-year-old that used to write you letters and wait for you to come back to read me some dumb book."

If Steve's heart wasn't already broken it would have shattered. The image of a 5-year old Tony at his funeral is too easy to picture and causes him to frown.

"Tony, I had every intention of keeping every single one of my promises. And look, I even got to keep my last promise. I did come back! It just looks like I came back too late." Steve said, the last sentence completely and utterly devastated.

"But, I get it. You hate me, I understand. You have every right to. And I am...so very sorry that I couldn't come back sooner." He said.

"Do you know what the first thing I wanted to do was when I woke up? I wanted to find you and finish that book and take you to that movie. That was the only thing I wanted to do. But, I figure out that you're grown. You have a girlfriend, you have a life now. I couldn't bother you, and Tony, I promise I had no intention on bothering you either. If I had known you were here, I wouldn't have come on this mission."

Steve let out a sigh because he could see Thor is starting to come back with Loki.

"I'll just...I'll try to keep the small tack to a minimum." He said, and he wasn't joking. He would shut up around Tony if he could help it.

Tony hated to admit it, but he felt terrible. Goddammit. There were so many reasons why everyone loved Captain America, it was hard to dislike the guy. But this was also Tony's childhood friend.

Tony snapped himself out of it by telling himself to not be fooled by a few kind words. He nodded.

"Save it for someone who cares," he mumbled, walking towards where Natasha was landing the jet.

They all boarded the jet and started making their return to the helicarrier. Once they got back, Loki was taken to a cell and Tony was sent over to Phil to discuss important matters.

Steve didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. And no one to even say nothing too. He didn't belong here. He wasn't wanted. Just needed.

He wished that things would have worked out differently. He had ruined Tony's childhood. Once he left, Steve thinks Tony didn't have anyone to pay attention to him anymore. No one to fly him around the house, no one read him stories, no one to show him how to color or paint. 

All because he left him. Yeah, it's easy to understand where the hatred comes from. He just prays that someday maybe it will fade.

* * *

**AN**: Please, Review!


	4. Despite Everything He Still Cared

**Rating:**_ PG-13_

**Summery: **AU where Steve Rogers was Tony Stark's babysitter while Maria and Howard were busy with the war. But now Tony is all grown up. Claiming to hate the man who abandoned him like everyone else. Steve just wants to be Tony's friend. He just wants to connect with someone he really knows (used to know) how is fighting along someone who has every right to hate him go?

_**Couple: **_Tony/Steve

**Authors: **Cayla and Nicole.

**AN: **I can't believe how many of you like this fic so much, wow. I'm so glad you're all enjoying it.

* * *

Steve, Thor, Bruce, and Natasha all sat in the HQ of the SHIELD helicarrier, listening to Loki talk to Nick in his glass cell. Steve hopped it would hold him. But something about this didn't seem right. It all wasn't adding up. "_How desperate are you? You call on such lost creatures to defend you._" Loki says and Steve wonders why the man thinks they are lost.

It's the truth though, for himself anyway, he feels more lost then he ever has in his life. Loki went on to tease Fury. Saying it must burn him to come so close having the tesseract. He also said something about using it for a warm light for all mankind. Steve's not sure what that means but doesn't think it's important.

"He grows on you doesn't he?" Bruce said with a smile, joking of course.

Steve gave a sign trying to understand everything the best he could. All he could really see is that Loki was going to play games with them for as long as he could. But Thor would know why and what exactly Loki was up to.

"Loki is going to drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?"

Thor explains that Loki has an army, and they will most likely win him the earth.

"An Army...from outer space?" Steve asked.

Things keep getting more crazy by the second. What's next? Talking animals?

Then, Tony being himself, finally deiced to show up, being a know it all. Steve's annoyed with how much he knows, but...in a way he's also proud. He always knew Tony would grow up to be some sort of genius. He was so smart that He didn't understand half of what Tony was saying. Then Tony says something about a man playing a game on the ship? Steve thinks it's a game. He's not sure what's going on to be honest.

"That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." Tony's eyebrows furrowed as he covered one of his eyes. "How does Fury even see these?" He asked. "He turns," Maria Hill responded. "Sounds exhausting," Tony remarked, implying that he had a better and more advanced way of seeing screens. He continued fiddling with the machines and explaining the obvious. "The major component he still needs is a power source. High energy density. Something to...kickstart the cube," he finished. "When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Hill inquired. "Last night," Tony stated.

Steve rolls his eyes. He didn't know when Tony became so cocky. When he was little, he was somewhat cocky, but it was cute then. It's...mostly annoying now. But a small part of Steve thinks it's cute because it's familiar to him.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asked, Tony.

He had avoided asking him questions and Tony didn't even answer him. It was Bruce. And apparently he was right because he and Tony started speaking in Science terms and Steve didn't understand a damn word. It angers him because he remembers a time when he was the only one who could understand Tony's baby talk. It makes Steve jealous which he hates to admit. It was like Tony could get along with anyone in the world except him.

"Finally, someone who speaks, English." Tony had said. "Is that what just happened?" Steve asked, mostly himself.

"It's good to meet you, Doctor Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled." Tony said as if he were talking to his best friend. "And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster," he added. "...Thanks," Bruce replied.

Just then, Fury walked in. "Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him."

_'Of course, put Bruce and Tony in a room together, they can work magic_,' Steve thinks, a lot more jealous then he likes.

He sighs, "I'd start with that stick of his." Steve offered. "It may be magical but it works a lot like a Hydra weapon." He turns in his chair to look at Tony but Tony is looking at the floor. Bruce nodded at him, saying that he heard his idea.

"I don't know about that, but it's powered by the cube." Fury explained. "And, I would like to know how Loki turned two of the sharpest men I know into his personally flying monkeys." Steve frowns at this at first.

All the book references Fury could make and he chooses that one? The one book he and Tony have in common. Steve looks over at Tony who is suddenly staring up at the ceiling, as if he's bored.

"Monkeys? I do not understand-

"I do!" Steve said, suddenly a bit more happy then before.

He was proud he was in the loop for once. He always felt like he was out of the loop when it came to culture. He blushes just a tiny bit at how everyone is looking at him. He looks over at Tony who is glaring at him.

"I understood that reference...Tony did too." He added, the last part it bit more quiet and shy.

Tony rolled his eyes at Steve. Was the man trying to advertise their past relations to the world? He was doing a damn good job if that was his intention.

Steve thinks Tony may actually murder him for making that comment. Steve doesn't realize until he watches the Scientist leave that he really had gone too far. But he hadn't done that to embarrassed Tony, he was just being honest. He couldn't help it.

As Tony and Bruce worked in the lab, generally getting to know each other and talking about their progress and how they would go about calculating the cube's whereabouts, they came to a point where personal discussion would be appropriate.

"So, what's the deal with you and the Captain?" Bruce asked.

"It's no big deal," Tony sighed, as he tapped away on the monitor.

He was embarrassed that people could easily deduce that he and Steve had a connection.

"Used to be my dad's best friend," he said. Bruce knew that there was more to it, but decided, for the mission's sake, to leave it at that.

Steve had some free time, there was nothing to do and he happened to be walking by the lab when he saw Tony poking Bruce, the man who turns into a giant green monster when angered, with some sort of sharp electric stick.

"Hey!" He yelled, trying to stop Tony as he walked into the lab. Tony had lost his damn mind! Was he trying to get himself and everyone else killed?!

"Are you nuts!?" Steve demanded.

Tony ignored Steve with great ease.

"Nothing? You've really got a lid on it," he told Bruce. "What's your secret? Relaxing jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?"

"Is everything a joke to you?" Steve demanded.

He didn't know why Tony didn't seem to give a damn about anything anymore. It was like he was just looking for a source of entertainment and right now it was in Bruce. Seeing if he could get him to turn into the Hulk.

Tony pointed the tool at Steve. "Funny things are," he said.

"Threatening the lives of everyone on this ship isn't funny, Tony!" Steve scolded him and then he thinks he may have been rude to Doctor Banner.

"No offence, Doctor." He added and thankfully Bruce assures him he's not offend at all.

Then Steve is positive Tony has lost his mind because he's urging Bruce to stop 'tiptoeing' and 'strut.'

"And you need to stay focus on the problem here, Mr. Stark." He hates calling Tony that. But he thinks it would be easier for Tony if he does. Maybe if he just tries to focus on the work, this would all be easier.

"You think I'm not? Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? Can't do the equation, unless I have all the variables," Tony said with a smirk.

"Jesus, You're such a know it all now," Steve muttered and it's without a doubt the most childish thing he's ever said in his life. He sounded like a jealous child.

"You think Fury's hiding something?" He forces himself to ask and hopes Tony would ignore his childish outburst.

"Wake up and smell the roses, Cap. Times have changed," Tony said, munching on a blueberry.

"He's a spy. Captain, he's _the_ spy. The secrets have secrets. It's bugging him too," Tony said, motioning to Bruce.

"Umm...I just want to finish my work here and..." Eventually, after coxing looks from Tony, he explained.

"A warm light for all mankind to share', Loki's jab at Fury about the cube." Bruce gestured to Tony. "Well, I think that was meant for you." Tony offered Bruce a blueberry from his bag, which Bruce greatly accepted. "Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the Tower, it was all over the news."

"The Tower? Stark Tower?" Steve asked, smiling because he knew what it was. He knew it very well. Because he had seen it and drew in fine detail.

"That big ugly..." Steve stops when Tony shoots him a glare.

"Building in new York?" Steve finished and hoped he hadn't hurt Tony's feelings. It wasn't that the building was ugly it was just...too much for Steve. There was just too much going on with it.

"This is why we can't have nice things," Tony mumbled.

Bruce continued, "It's powered by an arc reactor, a self sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for what, a year?" He asked.

"It's just prototype. I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now. It's what he's getting at." Tony explained.

He figured that Steve would need things explained to him. The thought of him babysitting Steve now humored Tony.

"So, why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. bring him in on the Tesseract project? I mean, What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?" Bruce asked.

Then it hit Tony. "I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secure files."

Steve started to say something, but Tony interrupted.

"JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours we'll know every dirty secret S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever tried to hide."

Tony extended his arm and pointed his bag of blueberries in Steve's direction. "Blueberry?"

Steve gives a glare at the blueberry bag. Tony was just pushing all the wrong buttons here. It was really pissing him off, he wasn't following the orders they were given. He was breaking into privet files and acting smug and casual like being in the same room with each other was okay. It wasn't okay! It would never be okay.

"And yet you're confused as to why they don't want you around." Steve hisses.

Hell, he was getting the point where he didn't want Tony around.

"There was a time where I used to care when someone wanted me around," Tony said. "Not so much anymore," he said, looking directly at Steve.

"Also, an intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, _not_ awesome."

Steve wishes he could take what he said back. It was just...wrong. He keeps forgetting that Tony may be a grown man who is really annoying and rude, but he used to be that cute 5 year old who wanted everyone's attention. He wants to apologize, but he knows Tony will chew him out for it if he tries.

"I think Loki is trying to wind us up." Steve said, choosing to pretend Tony had never said anything.

"This is a man who means to start a war and if we don't stay focused, he'll succeed." He said, looking over at Bruce that time.

Everyone needed to stay focused. This wasn't a game. This was a mission.

"We have orders, we should follow them." Steve said, looking at Tony that time. Almost pleading for Tony do what he's told. He used to do everything Steve asked him to do.

Tony decided to make his point clear. Steve Rogers was no longer the boss of him. "Following's not really my style," Tony said.

That's it. Tony had finally pushed the wrong button. Tony couldn't always be smug, couldn't always be the know it all in the room.

"And your all about style? You know, it's funny. I remember a time when following was your style. I remember when you would do anything I wanted. The last time I saw you, you told me you would go as far as being evil if I was." Steve said.

"You followed my orders once." Steve said and he hates himself for losing control like this but he's been holding back everything for too long. He shouldn't talking about this. Not with Tony and especially with Doctor Banner here.

"Er...What's all this about?" Bruce asked, genuinely confused.

Tony swallowed. He remembered making that vow to Steve. He remembered when he would lay in his bed awake, wondering where Steve and his troops were. He could remember the times that he wondered if Steve joined with the enemy and how he would plan sneaking into the enemy's country so he and Steve could finish the book. Tony also pictured him fixing up old plane engines so Steve could have back-up. That was ages ago. Painful ages ago. Ages that were meant to be forgotten.

"News flash, Captain," Tony said. "Times have changed," he said in a low growl. "You can't expect the world to wait for you to catch up, you need to start looking at things in a new way."

"It's not easy, Tony. It's not easy seeing you in front of me. My brain is still having trouble accepting the fact that you're night five anymore. Hell, I almost want to hear you pronounce my my name wrong! Just so I could feel like I'm not insane." Steve said, staring into those dark eyes. Searching for that 5 year old.

"I never expected for you to wait for me...I also never expected that I would be standing in front of you again. I'm supposed to be dead, I know that. I know I don't belong here." Steve said and there's an ache in his chest like he's about to cry.

He swallows hard and decided to see if he could find what Fury's been hiding. "Just find the damn cube." He hissed and leaves before Tony could say another word.

"_Just find the damn cube,_" Tony mimicked once Steve was gone.

He rolled his eyes and went back to the screen. "So stupid. Can't believe I actually liked him," he said to Bruce.

Bruce sighed. He didn't want to get involved and now he was caught up in the middle of a situation that clearly didn't need him.

"He doesn't seem bad," Bruce said. "He's not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us." Tony scoffed at Bruce's words.

"What he's got is an ACME dynamite kit. It's gonna blow up right in his face," he said, clicking through the different panels. "And I'm gonna be there when it does."

Steve went searching for whatever Fury was hiding. He bets he can do it faster then Tony can do. That's why he really went looking. He wanted to prove that he didn't need Tony's super genius help. Sometimes it paid off to go look for things the old fashioned way. Still, he can't help but wish he had a little eager five-year-old at his side.

He sighs. That will never happen. Tony was right about one thing, he did need to move on. Times have changed. Steve goes looking in places no one is allowed and he did find something. And it was exactly what he feared. He grabbed the weapon and began heading back toward the lab. As he's on the way there he hears Natasha in his SHIELD ear piece to get to the lab because Loki plans to unleash the Hulk.

He hurries even faster and when he gets there, Tony is sitting on the table like he owns the place, staring at computer screens with a smug smile. Nick was here too so clearly someone had told him what Tony had done.

"What is faze two?" Steve hears Tony ask when he walks in.

He slams the weapon down on the table and smirks just a tiny bit.

"Faze two is where SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons," he's glaring at Fury because none of them had been told this.

And personally, Steve didn't think something Hydra used should be used by other people. It's too dangerous. He looks over at Tony who's rolling at his eyes.

"Sorry, the computer was running a little slow for me." He snapped.

Fury spoke before Tony could respond.

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're-"

"-I'm sorry, Nick," Tony said, revealing the screen that showed detailed blueprints of the weapon. "What? Were you lying?"

"I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit." Steve said, he feels like he was wrong about SHIELD, wrong about the world.

It was the same, everyone was still after power.

"Did you know about this?" Bruce asked Natasha who walked in with Thor.

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" She responded and Steve just now remembered that it wasn't good if Bruce got angry, and it looked like this whole room was about to get angry because what they found out.

"Ohhh, I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed," Bruce insisted and it kept getting worse.

Natasha would try to calm in down, try to explain that Loki was making him angry but he wouldn't hear it.

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because you're getting a little twitchy." Bruce snapped at her, pulling a screen out and pointing at it.

"I'd like to know, why SHIELD is using the tesseract to build weapons of mass distraction." He said firmly.

"Because of him!" Fury said, pointing at Thor.

"Me?" Thor asked, confused and hurt.

"Last year, earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge mass that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, _hilariously_, out gunned," Fury admitted.

"My people want nothing, but peace with your planet," Thor said honestly.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched. They can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the cube?" Steve questioned.

Thor went on to say that it was Fury's work with the tesseract that drew Loki to it. Earth having it is a sign that there ready for a higher form of war.

"A higher form"?" He asked, wondering what in the hell that could mean.

"You forced our hand, we had to come up with something-" Fury began but Tony cut him off.

"A nuclear deterrent. Cause that always calms everything right down," Tony said sarcastically.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Mr. Stark," Fury retorted.

Tony was just glaring at Fury at first, and Steve sighs, Tony was too damn suborn to even defend himself. Steve felt like he had to do it for him.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep-" Steve was cut off when Tony interrupted him, not even letting him finish to explain that he didn't think Tony would go as far as using the cube.

Tony couldn't believe how quickly Steve was getting used to the new him. He almost was proud of himself for making Captain Sweetheart turn sour. Hell, he was pretty damn proud of it. Now the real fun could begin.

"Wait! Wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?" Tony asked, half serious and half jokingly.

Steve glares at him. All the while thinking, '_I'm trying to defend you and this is how you choose to act?'_

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said sarcastically. "Isn't everything?" He challenged.

The room irrupted into chaos. Everyone was screaming and fighting and he looked over at Bruce when he heard him say, "_Captain America is on the potential threat watch list?"_

Steve's eyes went wide.

"What?" He asked with disbelief. That was honestly a little hurtful considering he had done nothing but good in his life. How was he threat?

"Why?" He asked with confusion.

"You're on that list? Are you above or bellow angry bees?" Tony said with a smirk.

Steve looked over at him with a heavy sigh and a roll of his eyes. This was getting old. Very old and his temper was starting to wear thin.

"Stark, I swear to God, one more wise crack-

"Threatened! I feel threatened!

Steve glared at Tony. Was this really happening? Could the other not be serious for just minute?

"You didn't use to be so self obsessed." He said, disgust in his tone.

He didn't care how young Tony had been, he never pictured Tony growing up and turning into this man.

"How many times do I have to remind you?" Tony snapped back.

"I wasn't frozen in the fucking ice with you! I had to go on without you. It was easy going on without my dad because I learned from the start how to deal without him, but I thought I could rely on you, but you did the same thing Howard did!" Tony's eyebrows furrowed. "So, you know what? Maybe things being about me isn't a bad thing!"

"You think I wanted to leave you? You think I wanted to go down in a plane into freezing water? Hell no, Tony! Do you not remember the last time we talked?" He hissed and Steve is thankful everyone else is too busy fighting with each other to notice the two of them.

"Couldn't you tell that I was upset?" He demanded.

Tony stepped forward, getting in Steve's face.

"I don't care if you were upset or not! You planted this idea that everything would be alright. You told me that. You said things would be okay. You were such a fucking coward and I don't think I can ever forgive you for that. Because, news flash, Steve! It was a living hell. My parents died not too long after and that was the day that I had to accept that you were gone. I did fine after that. I was more than fine. I was spec-fucking-tacular! And now you're back and just...fuck, Steve! You're like some imaginary friend or something."

Steve's heart is aching in his chest because Tony's eyes look teary.

"I planted that idea because I didn't have the heart to tell a six your old child that I was about to die," Steve hissed.

"And I told you that because I had every intention on coming back to you. I was going to try my damnedest Tony to come back...it just took me a while." He sighed.

"And I'm not imaginary, I'm real. I may not belong here, but this is where I am. I'm here with you, and I'm trying to work things out with you but you won't let me." Steve said, not even raising his voice anymore, he was honestly trying to just talk to Tony.

Steve was going to continue but suddenly he noticed the room went quite and he heard Fury say, "You need to step away."

He was talking to Banner. Steve turned to look and it was obvious by the Doctor's body language that he was growing angrier by the second.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asked with a smirk over at Steve as he slapped him on the shoulder.

Steve snapped. He physically felt something inside him, snap. It must have been his temper because he smacks Tony's arms away.

"You know damn well why, now back off." He ordered. It was insane how stupid Tony was being. Did he not understand how dangerous that would be? Was he trying to get them all killed?

After he said it, his heart sank with guilt. Since when did he have such temper? He can usually control his anger but...Tony was acting like a child!

Tony's face grew cold but smirk came to his lips. Now this is what he wanted. He wanted to fight with Steve. This Steve. The Steve that had abandoned him.

"Ohhh I'm starting to want you to make me."

Now Steve didn't feel guilty one bit. Steve gave a smirk as well. If Tony wanted to fight that's what he was going to get. If his obnoxious ass wanted a screaming match he'd give him one.

"Right," he said circling Tony to stand in front of him, "Big man in a suit of armor, take that off what are you?" He challenged.

He was Tony._ His Tony_. That little 5 year old was inside the mask of the suit and armor. He was there. A kind person was there. This wasn't Tony. This was a arrogant, obnoxious, asshole. That wasn't Tony.

Tony almost laughed, "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"I know guys with none of that and they're worth ten of you."

He didn't mean Tony as person. He meant Iron Man. The person Tony was hiding behind, this snarky, sarcastic jerk he pretends to be. He was speaking to the person he hated. The person Tony claims to be.

"I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself," the Tony he knows would never do that.

But out of all the footage he had seen, it always seemed like Iron Man was fighting his own battles. Fixing chaos that he had created.

"You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play," in Steve's mind...that made you a hero. Willing to sacrifice you're own life to save everyone else.

He was willing to do that. He did do that. He did that for everyone and Tony.

"To do what I did for you, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

Tony looked up, his eyes blurring with tears that were not allowed to fall.

"Unlike you, I'd rather just cut the wire."

He wished Steve would have done that. Cut the wire. Instead of that damn plane going down he wishes he would have just blown up the plane and jumped out. There was no point in sacrifice. There could have been some sort of way for Steve to save himself and he didn't do it.

"Always the way out," Steve said with an amused smile.

It was sad to think Tony thought there was always a way out. Sometimes there weren't and once Tony understood that, Iron Man would be hero.

"You know what, you may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

He needed to stop being like this. Stop pretending that all a hero was saving the day and making sure he appear on the news every night.

Tony hated this. Hated Steve. He hated everything and every word coming out of that all american boy's mouth proved he had spent years hating the right person.

Then why did it hurt? Why did every word of that make him want to curl up in a ball and die? Why was he so close to crying?

...Because regardless of how much he hated Steve, that little boy in him is crying his eyes out to think his favorite person didn't like him anymore. Steve hated him. Steve didn't think he had done a good job. He wasn't enough for him. Tony would never be good enough for anyone. Not his father, his the world...not even his best friend.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't let this hurt him. He wasn't 5 anymore. He was a grown man. A man who didn't need his stupid childhood friend.

"A hero? Like you?" Tony asked with disbelief.

He stepped closer, getting in the other's face in hopes to intimate him.

"You're a lab experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of bottle," he hissed.

That cut Steve. It cut him deep. It felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest with a blade made of ice.

This was Tony? This was who he had became? He was nothing to him? Just a lab experiment his dad created? Where did that little boy who thought the world of him go?

"And if you think you're a hero, you need to take a fucking look in the mirror Cap because you're no hero to me. A hero doesn't lie to a six year old child just to make himself feel better. You were selfish. You lied to me and you destroyed my life."

Steve's face softened and he reached out a hand to touch Tony but it was quickly slapped away.

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness, I ruined your life, you shouldn't forgive me, but...can't you at least try to stop pretending that I don't mean anything to you anymore? You may be grown up but you remember me. You remember how much fun we had together." Steve insisted.

When the billionaire didn't speak he frowned.

"You're my best friend-or...were my best friend. We may not be friends now but you need to stop acting like this. Stop acting like this...terrible person. You're not. I know you're not." Steve said, almost pleading with Tony.

"You don't know anything about me!" Tony shouted. "I grew up. This is who I am if you don't like oh fucking well because I'm not too fond of you either!"

It was scary how quite the room was. They were all listening to them.

"And you want to know what you really mean to me?" Tony asked, amused.

"You _really_ want to know how I remember you?" He laughed, even though there was nothing funny about the conversation in the slightest.

"You mean-" Tony was cut off by the voice of Bruce Banner.

"In case you needed to kill me! You can't! I've tried!"

Everyone looked to Bruce as he talked about how depressed he got, how he attempted to kill himself but it failed. He told everyone how he had been fine and he wasn't bothering anyone. He had kept a lid a on everything until they dragged him here.

Tony's heart stopped once he watched Bruce pick up the scepter. No. This couldn't happen. Bruce was a good person and if he wasn't careful Fury was going to shoot him.

"Doctor Banner, put down the scepter." Steven said firmly, trying to sound calm and not make things any worse.

A long scary pause happened where no one was sure what was about to happen, and they all jumped just a little when the computer starting beeping. A sign that they had located the tesseract.

"We got it," Fury said.

"Sorry Kids, looks like you want get to see my party trick." Bruce muttered as he walked over to the computer

Suddenly the room got louder with people insisting they go get it. Personally, Steve thought Thor should go after it but then of course Tony said he wanted to.

"I can get there faster than anyone else."

"Stark, don't you dare," Fury order but Tony was already starting to walk away.

Again, it was all acting, no thinking, he was doing things on a whim. If Tony would just stop to think he would see that this could be dangerous.

Steve grabbed Tony by the arm, feeling like he was taking care of a 5 year old again. Tony actually used to do this all the time. Steve can actually remember when Tony was about four years old and it was pouring down rain and suddenly his current obsession was wanting to go outside.

* * *

_"I want to go outside, Stebe!"_

_"No, Tony it's raining," Steve chuckled._

_"But I want to play in the rain!" The younger insisted and started running toward the door._

_Steve grabbed Tony by the arm and lifted the giggle boy into his arms. "You stay here, Mister. Okay? You could catch a cold."_

* * *

Sadly, it wasn't anything like that now. What was happening now was filled with anger and hatred.

"You're not going alone!" Steve shouted and was actually a little shocked when Tony slapped his hand away.

"You're going to stop me?" Tony said with anger and amusement because Steve wasn't his babysitter anymore he couldn't control him.

Yes. He was going to stop him. Even if it involved having to physically fight him.

"Put on the suit and let's find out." Without that suit Tony wouldn't' stand a chance and Steve would at least make it a fair fight.

Tony grinned, "I'm not afraid of hitting an old man."

Steve stepped closer, glaring back at Tony.

"Put on the suit." Steve ordered firmly.

All of a sudden, a huge explosion erupted throughout the lab, causing the heroes to fly in different directions.

Tony collapsed on top of Steve when they fell. Steve's ears were ringing from the loud explosion but he looked over to see that some of the floor caved in. They were being attacked. He looked up to Tony on top of him.

"Put on the suit." He told the other breathlessly.

Tony's eyes were wide with fear and he nodded quickly.

"Yep!" Tony yelled, springing to his feet.

As he got up he was weak in the knees and he started to trip. Out of instinct, Steve reached out and held Tony by the waist in hopes to steady him.

"Stop babying me! I'm fine!" Tony shouted as he pushed Steve's hands away.

Steve frowned a bit but he nodded as he followed Tony. He wasn't trying to 'baby' Tony. He was just worried about him.

How could he not worry? Despite everything he still cared about Tony. He would always care about him.

* * *

**AN**: Please, Review!


End file.
